Roy Keane

Cobh Ramblers

Initially, Keane was turned down from the Ireland schoolboys squad after a trial in Dublin; one explanation from former Ireland coach and scout Ronan Scally was that the 14-year-old Keane was "just too small" to make it at the required level. Undeterred, he began applying for trials with English clubs, but he was turned down by each one. As he approached adulthood, he took up temporary jobs involving manual work while hoping for a breakthrough in football. In 1989, he finally signed for the semi-professional Irish club Cobh Ramblers after Ramblers' youth team manager Eddie O'Rourke was able to persuade him. Keane was one of two Ramblers representatives in the inaugural FAI/FAS scheme in the Dublin suburb of Palmerstown, and it was through this initiative that he got his first taste of full-time training, facilitated by living in nearby Leixlip, County Kildare from Monday-Friday. His rapid progression into a promising footballer was reflected by the fact that he would regularly turn out for Ramblers' youth side as well as the actual first team, often playing twice in the same weekend as a result. Keane's Cobh senior debut came on 13 August 1989 in Buckley Park as the Rams went down 2–0 to Kilkenny City in the Opel League Cup. First-team manager Liam McMahon gave Keane his League of Ireland debut on 5 November that year, in a 2–1 loss at Bray Wanderers. That season he would make 29 senior appearances as Cobh finished seventh. His two goals came against St…

Keane was part of the squad that participated in the 1988 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship although he did not play. He was man of the match for the Republic of Ireland national under-19 team when they beat hosts Hungary in the 1990 UEFA European Under-18 Football Championship to qualify for the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship. When called up for his first game at the international level, an under-21s match against Turkey in 1991, Keane took an immediate dislike to the organisation and preparation surrounding the Irish team, later describing the set-up as "a bit of a joke". He would continue to hold this view throughout the remainder of his time spent with the national team, which led to numerous confrontations with the Irish management. Keane declared his unavailability to travel with the Irish squad to Algeria, but was surprised when manager Jack Charlton told him that he would never play for Ireland again if he refused to join up with his compatriots. Despite this threat, Keane chose to stay at home on the insistence of Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough, and was pleased when a year later he was called up to the Irish squad for a friendly at Lansdowne Road. After more appearances, he grew to disapprove of Charlton's style of football, which relied less on the players' skill and more on continuous pressing and direct play. Tensions between the two men peaked during a pre-season tournament in the United States when Charlton berated Keane for returning…

Keane's former manager Sir Alex Ferguson had previously said that he wanted Keane to succeed him as Manchester United coach when he retired. In the wake of Keane's acrimonious departure from the club, however, Ferguson became evasive regarding Keane's prospects as a manager: "Young managers come along and people say this one will be England manager or boss of this club, but two years later they're not there. It's not an easy environment to come into, I wouldn't forecast anything."

Sunderland

During his time at Celtic, Keane was suggested as a potential managerial successor to Gordon Strachan by former Celtic player Charlie Nicholas. However, it was Championship club Sunderland where Keane chose to launch his managerial career, reuniting him with the club's chairman and outgoing manager, Niall Quinn. The two men, publicly at least, were on opposing sides during the fall-out from the Saipan incident, but they were on good terms at the time of the managerial appointment, with Quinn urging Sunderland fans to "support and enjoy one of football's true greats". Keane signed a three-year deal immediately after Sunderland's victory over West Bromwich Albion on 28 August, the Mackems' first win of the 2006–07 season after a dreadful run of four consecutive defeats under Quinn's temporary management. With his new club sitting in the relegation zone already, second bottom of the Championship table, Keane chose to enforce changes quickly. His first actions as manager were…

Roy Maurice Keane was born into a working class family in the Ballinderry Park area of Cork's Mayfield suburb on 10 August 1971. His father Maurice worked at a local knitwear company and at Murphy's Irish Stout brewery, among others. Keane's family was keen on sport, especially football, and many of his relatives had played for junior Cork clubs such as Rockmount. Keane took up boxing at age nine and trained for several years, winning all of his four bouts in a novice league. During this period, he was developing as a promising footballer at Rockmount, and his potential was highlighted when he was voted "Player of the Year" in his first season. Many of his teammates were offered trials abroad with English football teams, but Keane was not. He supported Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur as a child, citing Liam Brady and Glenn Hoddle as his favourite players, but Manchester United F.C. player Bryan Robson later became the footballer he most admired.